Spirits and Enemies
by chayei
Summary: Once called 'Mysterious Friends and Foes'. A mysterious prophecy? Another powerful enemy? Seems like the Ronin Warriors are in over their heads. But who are these three mysterious girls who seem to be taking over their job. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Spirits and Enemies  
Ronin Warriors Fic  
By: chayei

Prologue  
Revised- 7/25/01

***********************************************************************  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors. If I did I'd be rich and  
wouldn't bother writing this fic. So far, the characters Chaya, Mayuko,  
and Kaede are mine because I thought them up first. If you want to use  
them please ask first

SHORTLY AFTER TALPA'S DEFEAT

"You did it Ronins!" exclaimed Lady Kayura,"You saved the mortal world.  
So you won't be needing us anymore. Goodbye. Now that the evil no longer  
exists, we can return to the Nether Realm. Take care of this world and  
farewell, Ronin Warriors."

With that, Lady Kayura and the ex-warlords flew of into the sky. As they  
reached the portal to the Nether Realm, they did not notice mysterious,  
limping figure watching them in the shadows.

"So, Lady Kayura," spoke the figure, gripping on to her wounds, her  
words filled with coldness and hate, "you and the Ronin Warriors  
defeated Talpa. Good, but hopefully you will be prepared the evil to  
come in time." The figure grimaced in pain from the wounds that were so  
numerous on her body. With the prediction spoken, the figure disappeared  
into the shadows from which it came to seek healing of not just her  
body, but hopefully her soul.

***********************************************************************

ONE YEAR LATER

"Hey Sage! Ya think ya can get rid of your lady friends so we can eat as  
a group?" Rowen Hashiba shouted at his friend Sage Date, in yet another  
attempt to gain Sage's attention.

After excusing himself from the mob of female "fans", Sage joined Rowen  
and headed towards the table where they ate lunch with their group  
friends, who were wonderful friends if not an unusual combination of  
personalities. Their friends Ryo Sanada, Kento Rei Faun, and Cye Mouri  
were already there eating their lunches

"Very funny, Rowen." said Sage in an annoyed tone,"As you can see, I'm  
laughing my head off about being embarrassed in front of half of the  
females in the senior class."

"You can thank me later."answered Rowan.

"Ah come on, Sage, don't blame him." said Kento. "You were taking  
forever with your 'fan club', as usual. Can't you ever take a break?  
Don't answer that. Anyway, guess what I heard? An new student is moving  
here from the United States on Monday."

"I wonder if it's a girl?" wondered Sage.

"Well if it is, you better give us some time before you add another  
member to the Sage Date Fan Club. I swear it's so large that it's an  
official school club now."

"KENTO!"

"Hey guys! Can't you two ever stop fighting?" asked Kaede Son as she  
joined the guys at their table and sat down next to Ryo.

"Kaede, you know that Sage and Kento only exist for the purpose of  
fighting with each other." joked Mayuko Sakai. "What was it about this  
time?" she asked as she sat down.

"The new girl starting on Monday."answered Kento.

"If the new student is a girl." responded Cye.

"Well in case you really want to know, the student is a girl." Mayuko  
told them.

"Where did you hear that?"asked Sage

"How do you know if it's true?"asked Kento.

But before Mayuko could answer their questions, the bell rang signaling  
that lunch was over and to get to class. As the group of friends  
murmured their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Cye couldn't help  
but wonder what would happen when this new girl arrived.

***********************************************************************


	2. Oh What A Beautiful Morning

Spirits and Enemies  
Ronin Warriors Fic  
by chayei

Chapter 1: Oh What a Wonderful Morning

Revisions Began: 7/25/01  
Revisions Ended:

***********************************************************************

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors If I did I'd be rich and  
wouldn't bother writing this fic. The other characters are mine because  
I thought them up first. If you want to use them please ask first.

***********************************************************************

Notes:

"/..../"- speaking in English

"...."- speaking in Japanese

_...._- thinking or speaking telepathicly

***********************************************************************

*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!*

_Whoever invented the alarm clock was evil._ "/Shut up, you stupid  
machine!/" Chaya Davis shouted at her travel alarm clock. "/Woken up in  
the middle of such a good dream, *sigh*, could things get any worse?/"

"Chaya! Get up! We have to be at school early for your introduction!"  
shouted someone downstairs. _God it was to early to know such stuff such  
as whose voice it was shouting at her._ Of course, it was her roommate  
Mayuko, who Chaya had known since their freshman year of high school and  
was the owner the apartment.

_Thanks a lot, Mayuko._ Chaya thought. "And as usual things get worse."  
said Chaya switching to Japanese. Today was the day she started the  
other three-quarters of her senior year of school. "Well at least I  
don't have to be alone not knowing anyone. I already have Mayuko and  
Kaede as my friends."

Chaya finally got out of bed to get ready. The Han'a High uniform was  
much better than her American school's uniform, which looked like it  
came straight out of the fifties. The Han'a High uniform consisted of a  
knee-length navy blue pleated skirt and a tan button-down shirt with the  
school's logo on her left breast-pocket. She was glad Mayuko had asked  
her size a few days ago so she had some uniforms when she arrived.

When Chaya finally came downstairs, she had her long brown hair pulled  
back into a braid with her bangs framing her face.

"Took ya long enough to show your face." commented Mayuko as she handed  
Chaya a plate with a piece of toast on it. "You almost missed  
breakfast."

"Sorry, but not everyone is as up and atom in the morning as you,  
Mayuko. I hardly eat breakfast as it is. One more breakfastless morning  
won't make a difference." said Chaya as she put down the plate and  
picked up the toast and began to spread some strawberry jam on it.

"I know, I know. You prefer to sleep than eat. I remember well from  
three years ago. But it's your first day at a new school. You need to  
eat something." replied a determined Mayuko.

"Thanks for caring, _Mom_." retorted Chaya.

"Whatever."

As soon as the two girls finished their breakfast, they began their walk  
to school.

***********************************************************************

"OK, guys," said Ryo outside of the Hashiba Household, "whose turn is it  
to wake up Rowen?"

Kento, Cye, and Sage looked at Ryo and pointed him. Waking up Rowen was  
not pleasant. You always came out with some kind of an injury. It was  
also the one subject Kento and Sage could find something to agree on.

"What?! It's _my_ turn?!"

The trio nodded.

"God, help me!" prayed Ryo as he went to go wake up Rowen.

"Shouldn't we feel bad for him?" asked Cye sympathetically.

The three Ronin looked at each other and said, "NAAAH!!!"

"Hey guys! What's up?" asked Kaede as she joined them outside of the  
Hashiba household.

Sage looked up and said, "The sky."

"_Funny_, Sage, you're a regular comedian." answered Kaede. "Is Ryo  
waking up Little Boy Blue?"

"Yeah." answered Kento. Then Kento noticed something. "Hey! Where's  
Mayuko?"

"She's at school, brainiac." answered Kaede. "The new girl is staying at  
her place so she had to take her to school early."

"And what, pray tell, is the new girl's name?" inquired Sage.

"You can find out later, comedian." answered Kaede. "And, Sage, I'm  
begging you not to flirt with her. If you even give her one of those  
famous smiles of yours, you'll cause Mayuko and me a lot of trouble."

"Like what kind of trouble?" he asked back.

Just then Ryo came out rubbing his arm with a half awake Rowen behind  
him.

"Oh, Ryo! You got hurt waking up Rowen?!" asked Kaede as she ran over to  
comfort her boyfriend acting as if this never happens.

"We'll see, Kaede." said Sage more to himself than anyone. "Remember,  
I'm the Flirt King of Han'a High. No girl can resist my charms."

***********************************************************************

AT HAN'A HIGH SCHOOL

"OK. Mayuko, explain to me one more time why we got here early?" asked  
Chaya.

"I'M SPEAKING IN PLAIN JAPANESE, DIMWIT!! And we came early to get you  
an orientation before the office is too crowded!" shouted Mayuko, who  
was just losing her patience.

"Oh."

"Here we are." said Mayuko as they stopped at a door that said PRINCIPAL  
in big, bold letters. Mya opened the door and walked in. "Mr.  
Kanzaburo.........," Mya waited until he gave her his complete  
attention. "this is Chaya Davis, the new student. Well, I gotta go."  
Mayuko said as she rushed out the door.

"Welcome to Han'a High, Miss Davis." said Mr. Kanzaburo.

"Thank you, sir." replied Chaya.

"Your records are right here. I see your quite a good student."

"Yes, sir, thank you." said Chaya.

MINUTES LATER

"Well, Miss Davis," commented the principal. "Your all set to go. Your  
schedule is mostly the same classes with the exception of choir. We had  
to replace it with Drama, since you must audition for choir no later  
than the beginning of the year. I hope enjoy your year at Han'a High.  
Here is a pass to get into class."

_Yeah! The dorky welcome speech is over! Now just to get through with my  
day at school._ thought Chaya as she looked at her schedule which read:  
1. Drama - Room 108  
2. British Literature - Room 203  
3. Calculus - Room 305  
4. Study Hall - Room 205  
Lunch  
5. Physical Education - Gym  
6. Physics - Room 301  
7. Government - Room 202.

"Let's see what do I have first? Oh, Drama room 108 .... 102.... 104....  
106.... here we are 108."

***********************************************************************

Inside the Drama room, Sage could hardly stay awake. _Who cares about  
where Shakespeare stole his ideas from. Why can't we just start on  
"Romeo and Juliet" already!_ Usually Sage would _never_ be in this  
position, but the teacher had been talking about Shakespeare's life and  
motive for at _least_ a week now. All of a sudden, the classroom door  
opened and in walked a girl Sage had never seen before.

_Ah! This must be the new student._ thought Sage. _Not bad looking. This  
will be a piece of cake._

The new girl walked up to the teacher and handed her a piece of paper.  
"Class," the Drama teacher said, "it seems we have a new student. This  
is Chaya Davis from the United States. Chaya," the teacher said turning  
to Chaya, "why don't you introduce yourself to the class?"

"Hi." said Chaya. "I'm from Garden City, NY. It's a pleasure to be  
here."

"Thank you, Chaya. Why don't you sit in that seat in the middle?  
suggested the teacher.

_Chaya Davis, you are a life saver. Now I have something to do. Such as  
where to take you on our first date._

Just as Chaya sat down the teacher spoke up again. "Chaya, I am Ms.  
Nozomi. This class has just started studying Shakespeare. Have you  
studied his works before?"

"Yes, ma'am. I studied "Romeo and Juliet" in 8th Grade and Shakespeare  
in general in 5th." replied Chaya.

"Very good. You won't need to spend much time catching up then."

_Just what I need. Another Shakespeare freak._ Chaya said  
telepathically.

_Yeah, but you liked the first one._, answered Kaede, _What was it , 5th  
Grade?_

_But Ms. Dankin was always hyper on tons of coffee. I think she was  
addicted to caffeine._, Chaya replied.

_That would explain it._ said Kaede.

*BBBBBBRRRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!!!!!!*

"So what class do you have next?" asked Kaede.

"Uuhhhh...... Brit. Lit." Chaya answered. "You have Brit. Lit. in  
Japan?!"

"Sad, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I've gotta go to get my book from Mayuko's locker. I left it in  
there when we arrived at school." Chaya said as she walked off.

Unbeknownst to Chaya and Kaede, Sage heard the whole conversation.  
_Hmm, Mayuko's locker. I'll be there._thought Sage as he walked off  
behind Chaya.

***********************************************************************

AT MAYUKO'S LOCKER

"Finally I got it open!" exclaimed Chaya as she got her textbook and  
shut the locker door.

"Do you need help finding your next class?" asked a smooth and confident  
voice. Chaya turned around and found a very fine guy. "By the way, I'm  
Sage Date." said Sage, giving her is trademark smile.

Chaya just kept a cool, calm, unimpressed face."Chaya Davis. Nice to  
meet you, Sage, but I'm so sorry burst your bubble. I _don't_ date  
flirts." replied Chaya with her voice as cool as ice. She then turned  
around and began to walk towards her Brit. Lit. class, leaving Sage in a  
shocked silence.

***********************************************************************

IN THE DEMONIC REALM (LOCATION OF THE DYNASTY)

There is cauldron with an unknown, dark liquid with a picture of Sage  
shocked in it.

"This is supposed to be Halo. Calmest and most powerful of the Ronin  
Warriors. He is startled be a simple woman." said an obnoxious figure.

"Quiet, Adonis. Looks can be deceiving." said another. "Not to mention  
that was the Terran Child who startled him.

"But, Azrael," Adonis protested. "the time of peace has softened him. He  
is not the same Halo."

"Silence!" rasped a voice filled with pain from behind them. Azrael and  
Adonis turned and there stood their leader, Lady Tiamat. The half-human  
daughter of Talpa.

***********************************************************************


	3. A New Evil Arises

Spirits and Enemies  
Ronin Warriors Fic  
By: chayei

Ch. 2- A New Evil Arises  
Revisions Began: 7/26/01  
Revisions Ended: 7/27/01

***********************************************************************

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors. However I created Chaya,  
Mayuko, and Kaede so they are mine. If you want to use them please ask  
first.

***********************************************************************

Notes:

"/..../"- speaking in English

"...."- speaking in Japanese

_...._- thinking or speaking telepathicly

***********************************************************************

_Ah, lunchtime._, thought Mayuko as she made her way through the crowds  
to find her friends. Kento was already there stuffing his face and Cye  
was scolding him for his lack of manners. Kaede just looked on as she  
laughed her head off with Sage. _Wait a minute, Sage is already at the  
table? Where's the swarm of girls that follow him around?_ "Hey, guys!"  
greeted Mayuko as she set her stuff down. "Sage, where is your 'fan  
club'?"

"I dodged them today. I wanted some time to eat before Kento starts  
bugging me." he replied.

"It's your own fault for 'taking your time' to get here." retorted Kento

Soon after, Chaya came to the table where the group was sitting.  
"Mayuko, Kaede there you are! I've been ......." Chaya suddenly stopped  
when she noticed Sage sitting there. "/Never mind. I'll just find  
somewhere else to sit./" Chaya then turned around and walked away from  
the group.

"/Chaya! Wait!/" called Mayuko as she ran after her friend. Kaede just  
stared at Sage with a look that said 'You-did-exactly-what-I-told-you-  
not-to-do-didn't-you-?'. She had noticed what had caused Chaya to leave  
so abruptly.

"What?!" exclaimed Sage.

Kaede sighed. "Sage, I told you not to flirt with her. I thought i could  
trust you to listen to me. I guess I was wrong. Right now, Mayuko's  
probably begging Chaya to come back over here. In fact, I better go help  
her!" she said. Kaede then left to go find the other two girls.

"Smooth move, Flirty." commented Cye. "You've got the new girl to hate  
you before her first day is over."

"Shut up." said Sage, obviously annoyed.

Chaya, to say the least, was, well, shocked. Her two best friends were  
friends with that ... that arrogant jerk! How that happened, she might  
never know but ...

_Chaya!_ someone shouted telepathically.

Chaya looked up and saw Mayuko and Kaede coming her way. _Oww! Thanks  
for the migraine, guys!_ She 'pathed back with a smirk on her face.

_Whatever!_ 'pathed Mayuko back. "Chaya, would you please ignore Sage?  
He used to be kinda nervous around girls when he started high school.  
And believe me the girls flocked to him so he started his flirtations,  
and here he is now, a _major_ firt. Besides he doesn't know anything  
about you, and I forgot to warn him." Mayuko begged. "Just ignore him  
and come meet our friends. After this you can yell and scream at us all  
you want."

"But _I_ did warn him and he didn't listen. Chai, Yuko is right about  
Sage, at school he's a major flirt. Away from school, though, he can be  
very serious and reserved. Besides, I want you to meet my boyfriend."  
whined Kaede.

Chaya gave a sad smile at this. "Oh, all right, guys. But only because I  
get ta yell and scream at ya after school." said Chaya as she gave in.  
When they reached the table Ryo and Rowen had joined the others.

"Guys," spoke up Kaede. "This is our American friend Chaya. Chaya,  
you've already met the school's flirt king, Sage. The one stuffing his  
mouth is Kento and the one scolding him is Cye." The two paused for a  
minute to say hi before continuing their fight. "The one with his nose  
in a book is Rowen, and the only one paying any attention to me is my  
boyfriend Ryo.", sighed Kaede.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chaya." said Ryo.

"Likewise." she replied.

Shortly after the bell rang to end lunch and everyone headed to their  
classes. Soon school was over and the students headed for their homes.  
Chaya had discovered that she shared classes with all of her new and old  
friends. Drama had Sage and Kaede, Brit. Lit. had Cye and Ryo, Calculus  
had Rowen, Study Hall had Kento and Mayuko, P. E. had Kaede and Mayuko,  
Physics had Sage and Rowen, and Government she had with Cye.

Kaede, Chaya, Cye, Kento, Mayuko, Rowen, Ryo, and Sage all walked in the  
same general direction toward their homes. As Kaede walked beside Ryo,  
she took notice of what everyone was doing. Kento was trying to  
convince Cye to help him out at his parent's resteraunt this weekend.  
Most likely, Cye would cave in by the next day because of his love for  
cooking. Chaya and Mayuko were talking about something Kaede couldn't  
hear, probably because they didn't want anyone else to hear. Rowen was  
teasing Sage relentlessly about his 'fan club'. No, wait they were  
talking about practicing at the dojo this weekend. And Ryo was waling  
in deep thought next to her. As the group reached the Hashiba  
Household, they split up into two separate groups. The girls headed to  
Mayuko's apartment while the boys lingered outside Rowen's house to talk  
a bit.

The guys were standing outside of Rowen's house waiting for the girls to  
be out of earshot. When they were, Ryo spoke up.

"Remember, guys, Mia's house at eight. Kayura has something to tell us."

"Okay, Ryo." responded the others. Ryo, Kento, Cye and Sage walked off  
toward their own homes. Rowen just stood there outside his house,  
wondering what Kayura had to say before heading inside.

***********************************************************************

As the girls reached Mayuko's apartment, Kaede suddenly ran forward.

"See y'all tomorrow!" screamed Kaede as she ran towards her house.

"Stop, Kae!", shouted Mayuko after her.

"What?"

"Kaede, don't you remember? We're meeting tonight." Chaya reprimanded.

"Oh...yeah...I kinda forgot." stated a sheepish Kaede.

"Yeah, well, do you always have to forget?" responded Mayuko annoyed.

"Sorry, i can't help it!" replied Kaede. "Well, I gotta go."

_Remember, we have a meeting tonight, Kaede. At the stroke of  
midnight._ Chaya 'pathed to her.

_I got ya, I got ya._ Kaede 'pathed back as she ran off toward her home.

_REMEMBERRRRRRRR!!!_, both Mayuko and Chaya 'pathed back.

***********************************************************************

/AT MIA'S HOUSE/

It was eight and everyone was waiting. For whom? Well not Rowen because  
he got there early with Sage. Ryo had also gotten there early to see how  
White Blaze was. Kento had barely made it, but he was on time. Kayura  
had already come with Dais, Kale, and Sekhmet. And Mia and Anubis lived  
there since it was their house. For once, they were waiting on...Cye.

Just then the door opened and Cye rushed in. "Sorry I'm late!"  
apologized Cye as he gasped for air. "Mum kept me to wash the dishes."

"It's all right, Cye." said Kayura. "I know you're all wondering why I  
have called you here."

"Well, obviously it's because we have a new enemy." stated Kento. Kayura  
looked at him in shock.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Why else would you call us?" Kento responded. "I'm not always stupid."

Everyone looked at Kento. Maybe he was smarter than he looked...NAH! He  
just had his fifteen minutes of fame.

"Anyway. Like Kento said, we have a new enemy. The Warlords know more  
about it then I do so I'll let them explain." said Kayura.

Dais started, "Our new enemy's name is Tiamat. She..."

"Tiamat, isn't that the name of the Babylonian Queen of Dragons?"  
interrupted Rowen, trying to remember the facts from that huge volume of  
Babylonian mythology he had just finish.

"Yes, but this is different. Tiamat is..."

"Well if she has the same powers then she could be hard to beat."

"Strata! Will you shut up and listen?!" shouted Dais. The Ronin of Life  
automatically stopped. "Now as I said, our enemy is Tiamat. She is  
Talpa's daughter."

"TALPA HAD A DAUGHTER?!!!!" shouted the Ronins.

"YES!!!!!" shouted Dais, obviously about to kill the Ronins.

"Dais, I'll take over." stated Kale. "Tiamat is only half-demon and  
becomes very weak after using her powers for some reason. She is not the  
problem. Her warlords...might be."

"We are not exactly sure who they are or what their powers are, but we  
do know they do not have any armor." added Sekhmet.

"What about Azrael?" asked Anubis. "He is her half-brother."

"You might be right, Anubis, but we are not sure. All we know is they  
are attacking." answered Dais.

***********************************************************************

/AT MAYUKO'S PLACE/

*Ding-Dong*

It was 11:45 when Kaede arrived at the apartment. _Come on in, Kae. The  
door's open._ 'pathed Mayuko.

_Okay._ Kaede 'pathed back as she opened the door and headed toward  
Mayuko's bedroom. She was surprised when she saw no one in there.

"We're on the balcony, Kaede." Chaya answered to Kaede's unspoken  
question. "Come on out."

"Oh." said Kaede. She then went out onto the balcony where Mayuko and  
Chaya were staring at the moon. "Thinking about him, Yuko?

"Yeah." Mayuko sighed. There was a long silence after that. Well," she  
said, breaking the silence. "This meeting is now in session."

"Mayuko, why do we have to meet at midnight?" asked Kaede.

"Because midnight is the hour of magic, and the most likely time for the  
enemy to attack." explained Chaya. "We need to be alert in case of one."

"Oh."

"Guys, what are we going to do now that we know Tiamat is attacking  
Japan? It has been three years since we've fought her, and at that time  
we numbered six, not three." asked Mayuko.

"It has been three years since you two have fought. Tiamat has sent  
Adonis to New York every now and then so I've kept my guard up. Remember  
why I am here." answered Chaya.

"I thought it was because of..." Kaede faltered when Chaya glared at  
her. "So who is Adonis?" she asked quickly changing the subject.

"One of Tiamat's warlords. A new one I suppose, isn't that right, Chai?"  
responded Mayuko.

"Yeah, except one problem. He was Lunar."

"WHAT?!"

"The two of you heard me. Lunar is now Adonis. No matter how much of a  
friend he was, he is now our enemy. We have to keep our hearts separate  
from our brains when we fight him."

The meeting went on as planned. The three girls made some plans to use  
against Tiamat's warlords. Or actually, Mayuko and Kaede were. Chaya  
couldn't pay attention to the discussion. She could've sworn a portal to  
the Dynasty...no...the _Nether Realm_ had just been opened.

***********************************************************************

School was school. Nothing occurred from it but boredom. Sage finally  
got his wish to start Romeo and Juliet, Kaede didn't yell her vocal  
cords out at Sage, and Chaya got to her classes a lot earlier. Chaya was  
still to busy, though, to even think about the night before. Finally  
school was dismissed and everyone headed home. Sage, Ryo, Rowen, Mayuko,  
Kento, Cye, Chaya, and Kaede walked home together until they split up as  
they had done the day before. And like yesterday, the boys stayed to  
chat a while longer. _This is too easy._, thought a figure in the  
shadows.

"Hello, Ronin Warriors." said the figure as he stepped out of the  
shadows. The stranger had short and shaggy dirty blonde hair and deep  
brown eyes. The guy had on brown leather pants and a forest green tunic.  
His belt sported two knives that were easily seen. He kinda looked like  
one of those devilishly handsome bad guys that all the girls couldn't  
help, but fall for. The guys instantly summoned their sub-armors.

"Who are you?" demanded Ryo.

"I, Wildfire, am Tiamat's Warlord of Pain. Now prepare to die."

"Yeah, well, we've heard that before, and do we look dead to you!"  
shouted Kento.

This only made the warlord smirk. "Believe me, Hardrock, I keep my  
promises. PANIC STRIKE!" the warlord shouted as he sent hundreds of  
magic knives towards the Ronins.

***********************************************************************

The girls felt the energy from the warlord's attack. "Adonis." stated  
Chaya. "Transform." Kaede and Mayuko just nodded their heads as they  
began to do just that.

"Ignis!" cried Kaede. A column of fire shot up from the ground  
surrounding her as her uniform changed into a red tank top and black  
pants with red flames running down the sides. Her shoes were now black  
sneakers. Kaede's long loose hair was pulled pack into a low ponytail.

"Aqua!" cried Mayuko. A wave of water swirled around her to form a  
column. Mayuko's uniform changed into a black tank and tight royal blue  
pants. Mayuko now sported a pair of blue and white sneakers. Her hair  
was pulled back into a high ponytail.

"Terra." whispered Chaya. Light surrounded Chaya as her uniform became a  
white tank and black pants. Her upper left arm had a silver armlet  
around it. On her feet, were grey sneakers. "Let's go."

The girls ran to where they sensed Adonis's attack. They found him  
fighting five armored men (or boys, they couldn't tell). The armored  
guys were doing okay, but plain to see that Adonis was holding back.

"/Hey, Adonis!/" shouted Chaya. "/Why don't ya fight someone who can  
fight ya back?/"

Adonis stopped fighting to find the owner of the foreign voice. He  
smirked, "Well, well, Terra, why didn't write me when you arrived in  
Japan. I would have brought you a welcome attack. In fact greetings to  
you to Ignis and Aqua. It's like a little reunion."

"What are you doing here, Adonis?" asked Kaede/Ignis.

"Well, I would think that was obvious. To do Lady Tiamat's bidding of  
course." he answered.

The Ronin Warriors were in shock, who were these girls and what were  
they doing taking over _their_ job? And how could they know more about  
the enemy then they did?

"Well, Adonis, why don't you go crawl back to the Dynasty before we hurt  
you?" suggested Mayuko/Aqua.

"Oh, but I'd much rather fight the three remaining Spirits than do  
that." he answered back.

"That can be arranged, Adonis." shot back Chaya/Terra. "In fact, let me  
do the honors. Spirit's....." whispered Chaya as she gathered energy for  
the attack. "RAGE!" she shouted as she shot a ball of pure energy at  
Adonis. "Gotcha." she said when the attack made a direct hit.

Soon, though, the smoke from the collision blew away, revealing an  
unharmed warlord.

"WHAT?!" Chaya exclaimed. "That should've at least made a mark!"

***********************************************************************


	4. New Allies Revealed ... Sort Of

Spirits and Enemies  
A Ronin Warriors Fic  
By: chayei

Ch. 3 - New Allies Revealed  
Started: 10/7/01  
Ended: 10/8/01

***********************************************************************

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors. However, I created Chaya,  
Mayuko, and Kaede so they are mine. If you want to use them, please ask  
first.

***********************************************************************

Notes:

"/..../"- speaking in English

"...."- speaking in Japanese

_...._- thinking or speaking telepathicly

***********************************************************************

/IN KAYURA'S DREAM/

Kayura stopped running from her nightmare. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Ancient One?!" Kayura asked. "What is it you need?"

"The Spirits of Earth? Who are they, Ancient?"

"Thank you, Ancient. I will try to find them."

"Their weapons?" echoed Kayura.

"But, Ancient, there are only five sets of weapons here. Where is the  
sixth?"

"The Starlight Swords? I'm glad that they have better purposes then  
sitting in an armory getting dusty."

"Yes, it is. Goodbye, Ancient One."

***********************************************************************

/IN THE NETHER REALM/

Kayura tossed back and forth in her sleep. Dreams of the wrong doings  
of her past haunted her mind. Then suddenly, she calmed down. Kale was  
worried for Kayura. Every night, she disturbed him with the pain she  
let known through her nightmares, and with the screams that came with  
them. Kale wasn't too disturbed by the interruptions, because he was  
rarely asleep at night. Being a warrior of darkness did that to a  
person.

But tonight, Kale had found some hope. Kayura had calmed down before he  
had woken her up. Maybe she was overcoming the pain of her past. Kale  
caressed her cheek and smiled, wondering what had brought about Kayura's  
sense of peace.

"NOOO!" a high pitched voice shouted from far away.

Kale sighed. It seemed his nighttime job was never over. Kale left to  
take care of another victim of the dream world.

***********************************************************************

"WHAT?!" Chaya exclaimed. "That should've at least made a mark!"

"Poor, pitiful Terra." Adonis said in resonse to the remark. "While you  
have stayed at the same level, I have advanced. And now it is time for  
your death. Or you could join Lady Tiamat."

"I will never join the Dynasty, Adonis. You should know that by now."  
Chaya answered.

"Then you will have death, Terra. How honorable of you." Adonis  
commented sarcastically. "PANIC..."

"Adonis, stop!" commanded a voice from above.

Adonis just grimaced at the sound of the voice. He looked up and saw a  
woman with long black hair with purple streaks and deep, purple eyes.  
She was wearing tight black pants and a black halter-top. Her eyes were  
glaring at Adonis.

"And why should I, Kali?" he sneered. "Do you have feelings for the  
enemy?"

Kali didn't react to his comment. "Azrael sent me under the authority  
of Lady Tiamat. The Lady does not want the Child dead quite yet. She  
requests you return immediately."

Adonis had lost the battle of wits between him and his fellow warlord.  
"I only live to serve my lady." He glared once more before returning to  
the Dynasty.

"Beware, Ronin and Spirits, the Dynasty will destroy you." announced  
Kali as she smirked and also made her way back to the Dynasty.

Chaya left without saying a word, disappearing into thin air. Kaede and  
Mayuko were about to leave when Ryo spoke up.

"Wait, can you tell us who you are so we know who our allies are?" he  
asked.

Kaede was the one who responded. "Certainly, Wildfire, if you will do  
the same for us."

"We will."

The seven remaining warriors revealed their identities at the same time.  
The reaction from them all was surprise.

"Kaede!"

"Ryo!"

"Mayuko!"

"Sage! Rowen! Cye! Kento!"

"How can this be?" asked Ryo. "Kaede, you fight the Dynasty?"

"I've been fighting the Dynasty. Since before I met you. But, Ryo,  
you're a Ronin Warrior?" responded Kaede.

"Well that would explain a few things." said Rowen.

"And what is that?" asked Kento.

"Simple, Kento, how Ryo and Kaede got together." answered Cye.

"And exactly what do you mean by that?!" shouted Ryo and Kaede.

"Why don't you know?" responded Mayuko. "Pyros are obviously attracted  
to each other."

Before Ryo and Kaede could respond, Sage brought up a question that  
returned to the new discoveries. "Kaede, Mayuko, who is the Terra  
girl?"

Both Mayuko and Kaede fell silent and looked at each other. "That will  
have to be Terra's job to tell you that." answered Mayuko.

"Why? Don't you know?" asked Rowen.

"Oh, we know." answered Kaede. "We just don't feel like having our lives  
drastically shortened."

/MIA'S HOUSE/

"So what you're saying is that the enemy has already attacked." said Mia  
a few hours later as the Ronin Warriors told her, Kayura, and the ex-  
warlords about their encounter with the enemy.

"What was his name again?" inquired Dais.

"He said his was Tiamat's Warlord of Pain." answered Ryo. "But the  
girls ..."

"Who?!" asked Kayura.

"The three girls who helped us. They said his name was Adonis, like  
they had fought before." responded Ryo.

"And who are these three girls?" asked Kayura. _Could they be the three  
the Ancient was talking about?_ she wondered.

"Well, Adonis referred to them as the three remaining Spirits: Terra,  
Ignis, and Aqua." answered Sage.

"Earth, Fire, and Water," pondered Mia. "Who are they?"

"Three of the Spirits of Earth." responded Kayura. "Wildfire, do you  
know any of their identities?"

"Uh.... yeah, Kayura," said Ryo. "but only Ignis and Aqua. Terra left  
before we could ask, and the other two refused to tell us who she was."

"Well, who are they?" asked Sekhmet.

"It's really funny." answered Kento. "Ignis is Ryo's girlfriend Kaede  
Son. And Aqua is our friend Mayuko Sakai."

"Spirits of Earth," wondered Anubis. "aren't they the ones Tapla sent  
Azrael to destroy three years ago?"

"That's right, Anubis!" answered Kale. "And he succeeded in turning one  
to our side, capturing another, and prevented a third from awakening. I  
had forgotten about that."

"Whoa! Guys, we do have school tomorrow." reminded Cye.

"Your right, Cye." answered Rowen. "We better be going."

"Ronin, try to bring the two Spirits you met today here tomorrow. I  
want to talk to them." requested Kayura.

"Sure thing, Kayura." answered Ryo. "Bye, everyone!" And the Ronin  
Warriors left.

"Hey, Kale," said Dais, "isn't it about time you checked on your  
patient?"

"Patient? What does Dais mean, Kale?" asked Anubis.

"She was a captive of Talpa. We found her wandering around the Nether  
Realm about a year ago. Her physical wounds have long since healed, but  
the mental ones still remain. I've been monitoring her in her sleep for  
nightmares."

"Oh." was all Anubis could say.

***********************************************************************

It was the next day and once again it was lunchtime, the majority of the  
student population's favorite time of day. For those like Kento, it  
meant food and fooling around. For those like Sage, it meant flirting  
with the girls. And for those like Rowen, it meant thirty minutes that  
he could spend reading his latest novel. But of course, this was only  
on normal days and the day after an attack is not normal for the Ronin  
Warriors. Ryo had been trying to find the time to tell Kaede and Mayuko  
about the meeting without Chaya finding out. Much to his relief when  
Mayuko showed up without Chaya with her since they both had Study Hall  
before lunch.

"Where's Chaya, Mayuko?" asked Ryo as she sat down.

"She stayed after to help the teacher clean up after some jerks." she  
said. "They would have done it if they hadn't been sent to Mr.  
Kanzaburo."

"I know! That was so funny when they were caught!" responded Kento.

"Well, anyway, Kaede, Mayuko, would you mind coming with us after school  
to talk about," Ryo looked around, "you know."

"Sure thing, Ryo!" answered Kaede.

"And you don't have to worry about Chaya." added Mayuko. "She has to  
make a call back to the States after school."

"That's great." said Ryo with relief.

Soon, Chaya joined the group and all too soon lunch was over. With all  
the groans and reluctance of the student body, classes were resumed.  
After school, the group walked home together as they had the two  
previous days.

_Yuko, Kae, are you sure you want to do this today? You could wait till  
an afternoon I'm free, such as tomorrow, so I can talk to the Ronin  
Warriors and their allies. I do know more than the two of you._ 'pathed  
Chaya to her two friends on their way home.

_We're sure, Chai._ answered Mayuko.

_And besides, they think you have nothing to do with this._ said Kaede.  
_Let's wait a bit until they're used to having more allies._

_All right._ agreed Chaya as she separated from the group on her way to  
Mayuko's apartment.

***********************************************************************

/MIA'S HOUSE/

"Everyone this is Kaede and Mayuko. Kaede, Mayuko, this is Mia, Anubis,  
Kayura, Sekhmet, Dais and - hey, where's Kale?" asked Ryo as he gave  
the introductions.

"He had business to take care of." answered Dais.

"That's right." agreed Kayura. "And you two are part of the Spirits of  
Earth." she said referring to Kaede and Mayuko.

"That's right." answered Mayuko. "What do you want to know?"

"For one thing, who are Tiamat's warlords?" requested Anubis.

"Wouldn't you know, Anubis?" answered Kaede a bit too coldly. "You were  
a Dark Warlord of the Dynasty. The Dark Warlord of Cruelty, if I  
remember correctly."

Anubis grimaced at being reminded of his past. "When I was a warlord, I  
didn't bother myself with knowing who my underlings were." he responded.

"Kaede, that's enough." scolded Mayuko. "They aren't part of the  
Dynasty anymore and you know that. Forgive her please."

"It is alright," answered Kayura. "It took the Ronin Warriors awhile to  
accept us. I would imagine the same for the two of you."

"Back to Tiamat's warlords. As far as we know, she has about four.  
Azrael, her Warlord of Death, has never made an appearance to fight  
against us. We know he exists only from the comments of the other  
warlords. Kali is Tiamat's Warlord of Nightmares. She is the most  
powerful that we have fought against. Kali usually attacks mentally,  
messing with her opponent's mind like Dais once did. But unlike Dais,  
Kali doesn't trick or full her opponents. She brings their greatest  
fears to life." gave Mayuko.

"There is also Siva, the Warlord of Destruction. He relies a bit too  
much on modern weapons such as grenades and bombs. And last is Adonis,  
we, like the Ronin Warriors, have only fought him once. Terra knows the  
most about his warlord powers." finished Kaede.

"What do you mean by 'warlord powers'?" asked Sekhmet.

"Adonis was once Lunar, one of our fellow Spirits of Earth. Both he and  
Lux were captured by the Dynasty. For all we know, Lux could be a  
warlord, too." Kaede said keeping a straight face.

"Don't say that!" shouted Mayuko, tears running down her face. "I... We  
might have lost Brian to the Dynasty, but Lux is to innocent to be  
corrupted so!"

"Mayuko, are you all right?" asked Kento, concerned about his friend and  
fellow joker.

"No." was the answer he received, "Brian... Lunar was my boyfriend,  
before... before he was captured. And Mag... Lux was like a little  
sister to all of us. I know she wasn't turned by the Dynasty."

Everyone looked at Kaede as if to ask is all of this was true. All  
Kaede could do was look down, coping with the pain of loosing comrades.

"Well, I guess it's time we left." suggested Ryo. The other Ronin  
Warriors quickly agreed and started to help Mayuko and Kaede to the  
door.

"Wait." commanded Kayura.

Everyone stopped immediately.

"I believe these belong to you." she said as she gave Kaede the Sunfire  
Katanas and Mayuko the Ocean Wave Trident. The two of them gasped as  
they saw the weapons.

"Where did you get these?" demanded Kaede.

"The Ancient One entrusted then to me until I could find you." Kayura  
answered.

"Thank you." said Mayuko, as the two sets of weapons disappeared out of  
sight. Kayura gave them a small smile as they left with the Ronin  
Warriors. Suddenly Kale appeared.

"Okay, did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Where were you, Kale?" asked Anubis.

"I was taking care of Margaret."

"Margaret?"

"The girl we told you about last night, Anubis." answered Dais. "Took  
you long enough, Kale. What kept you?"

"She wouldn't calm down. I only got her back to sleep a few minutes  
ago." he responded.

"Well, you missed a lot." said Sekhmet as the ex-warlords began to  
explain what had happened.

***********************************************************************

"/Yeah, Mom. I understand. I'll call you next week. Bye./" said Chaya  
as she finished her phone call home.

*RING, RING*

"/Not again./" she muttered as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, sis, is that you?" asked the voice on the other end.

"Danielle! Is that you?! Since when have you known Japanese?" Chaya  
asked her older sister.

"Since college. Listen I just called to tell I'm going to be in Japan  
next week. My job's transferred me there."

"Cool! Where in Japan will you be?"

"Toyama."

"That means we'll be in the same city! This is great, Dani!"

"Yeah, I know. Listen I've gotta go, 'kay?"

"Yeah, bye."

"Talk to ya later, Chai."

Chaya was ecstatic. Her sister was going to come to Japan. Besides  
having to fight evil forces trying to conquer the world, what could go  
wrong?

***********************************************************************


	5. A New Arrival

Spirits and Enemies  
A Ronin Warriors Fic  
By: chayei

Ch. 4 - A New Arrival  
Finished - 2/19/02

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors. However, I created Chaya,  
Mayuko, Kaede, and other unnamed original characters so they are mine.  
If you want to use them, please ask first.

***********************************************************************

Notes:

"/..../"- speaking in English

"...."- speaking in Japanese

_...._- thinking or speaking telepathically

***********************************************************************

Chaya had just put down the phone when the door to the apartment opened.

"Chai! I'm back from meeting with the Ronins!" greeted Mayuko as she  
closed the door and walked into the living room. "Are you still in  
here? I would've thought that phone call to your mother ended a while  
ago."

"No, I just finished talking to her. You know how over-protective she's  
been since Maggie disappeared." Chaya answered. "Where's Kaede?"

"I'm here!" shouted Kaede as if on cue as she walked through the door.

"Hey, Kae! We're in the living room!" answered Mayuko.

Kaede entered the room and made herself comfortable. Everyone sat in  
silence until Chaya spoke. "So... what happened at the meeting?"

"They asked questions, we answered what we could. Though Kaede didn't  
help much." accused Mayuko.

"What do you mean, Mayuko?" asked Chaya.

"The ex-warlords were there and Kaede was accusing them every other  
second." she answered.

"I did not! I just didn't trust them enough not to be wary of them.  
And it did seem pretty stupid to me not to know the warlords that fought  
for your former master's daughter when they were in the same palace as  
you." retorted Kaede.

"Okay, Kaede. I get the picture. Did anything else happen that I  
should know of?" asked Chaya.

"Yeah, Chai, Lady Kayura gave us these." said Mayuko as she and Kaede  
took out their new weapons.

"The Ocean Wave Trident! And the Sunfire Katanas!" stated Chaya, shocked  
at the appearance of these weapons. "She gave them to you?"

"Yeah." answered Mayuko. "Chai, you really need to come to the next  
meeting. You know stuff about Tiamat's forces that we don't."

"Okay, when's the next meeting?" Chaya asked.

"I don't know. I guess Ryo will tell us when." Mayuko answered.

"So, did anything happen while we were gone?" inquired Kaede.

"Oh! Dani called. She said she'll be coming to Japan next week. Her  
job's transferring her to Toyama." stated Chaya.

"Dani's coming?!" shouted Mayuko.

"That's great!" responded Kaede.

"I can't wait!" they said simultaneously.

***********************************************************************

It was yet another school day, but no one really cared because it was  
Friday and that meant that it was almost the weekend. Chaya smiled  
happily at that thought as she walked into her drama class. Of course  
drama meant Sage and Sage meant annoyance. Hopefully Ms. Nozomi  
wouldn't insist on her reading Juliet's part with Sage as Romeo Like the  
day before. Today would be the balcony scene and Chaya would rather die  
than say the romantic lines of Juliet's part to Sage.

"/Good morning, Chaya./" greeted Sage.

"/Good? What's so good about it?/" answered Chaya. "/I just walk in  
and find out the one guy I don't want to talk to knows English. There  
goes one language I can't insult him in./"

"/Chaya, must you be so rude. You sit next to me so it is only right  
that I say hello./"

"/And yet, you can't take a joke./" responded Chaya. "/I'm just  
thankful your not trying to flirt with me. Where did you learn  
English?/"

"/From my mother. She grew up in the United States./" answered Sage.

"Morning, you two. Glad to see you can get along." greeted Kaede as she  
sat in her desk.

"Morning, Kae." they greeted together.

"Where were you this morning, Kae? Ryo was about to call in the JDSF to  
find you." asked Sage.

Kaede grinned sheepishly, "I overslept this morning." she answered.

"Oh." responded Sage. " What did you do yesterday after school, Chaya?"

"I called home. My mother insists on hearing from me at least once a  
week. But I also got a phone call from my older sister Danielle. Her  
job is transferring her to Toyama. She's arriving next week." answered  
Chaya.

"Older sister, eh?" thought Sage.

"Don't go there, Sage." warned Chaya. "Dani is five years older then me.  
Plus she never got over her last boyfriend."

Before Sage could answer, the bell rung, signaling that school had  
started. Ms. Nozomi began class and, much to Chaya's horror, announced  
that they would be keeping the same parts as yesterday. And so school  
went on. Brit. Lit. was amusing with Ryo and Cye giving commentary on  
the teacher's lecture, and Rowen once again revealed the secrets of  
Calculus to Chaya. In Study Hall, Mayuko and Kento began planning their  
next practical joke, and it was lunchtime before Chaya knew it.

"TGIF!" exclaimed Chaya as she sat down at the table with everyone.  
"Three more periods until freedom for the weekend!"

"What does 'TGIF' mean, Chaya?" asked Kento.

"It means 'Thank God It's Friday!', Kento." she answered.

"Cool!"

"Hey, Chaya, what are you doing this weekend?" asked Rowen.

"I dunno, I think Mayuko and Kaede are showing me around Toyama. Why?"  
answered Chaya.

"Because the guys and I were thinking about offering to do the same  
thing."

"Hey! We could all show Chaya around Toyama." suggested Cye.

"Sure! That be great!" exclaimed Kaede.

"Of course Kaede would jump at a chance to spend more time with her  
boyfriend." said Mayuko.

"Shut up." retorted Kaede as everyone else laughed at the remark.

With the plans for the weekend finalized, everyone began eating their  
lunches, or in Kento's case trying to steal some of Cye's since he had  
already finished his. All too soon did the bell ring, and everyone  
headed towards their next class. P.E. was a breeze for Chaya, since all  
she did was goof off with Mayuko and Kaede. She had to be serious in  
Physics though because they had a lab to do. Government proved  
interesting with a debate on which type of government was the best.  
Soon school was out for the weekend, and everyone rejoiced.

***********************************************************************

The weekend was great, and Chaya grew to love Toyama as she toured  
around the city. But the weekend was over shortly, and soon it was time  
again for school. Monday flew by much to the surprise of the group of  
friends, and they soon found themselves heading towards the airport to  
greet Chaya's older sister Danielle.

"How much longer do we have to wait, Cye?" whined Kento as they waited  
for the plane to arrive.

"The same as it was ten seconds ago, Kento." answered Cye. "About ten  
more minutes."

"Kento, you know you didn't have to come." said Sage, who was getting  
annoyed at his friend's antics.

"I have an idea. Kento, why don't you and Mayuko go get something to  
eat?" suggested Ryo.

"Why me?" asked Mayuko.

"Because your the only one who can stop him from buying out the whole  
store." joked Kaede.

"Flight 1087 from New York has arrived at Gate 15." came a voice from  
the loudspeaker.

"That's Dani's flight! Come on, everyone!" said Chaya. She walked over  
to Rowen who hadn't heard the announcement because he was too absorbed  
in his latest novel. "Come on, Rowen!" Chaya said as she grabbed him by  
the arm and dragged him to the gate. The group arrived at the gate just  
before the passengers started to file off one by one.

"Is that her?" Kento asked Mayuko.

"No, Kento." Mayuko answered back.

"Is that her?" Ryo asked Kaede.

"Uh ... nope!" she answered.

"Rowen, do you think that is Danielle?" asked Sage, spying a brunette  
who looked an awful lot like Chaya.

"Might be." Rowen answered. "Hey, Chaya, is that your sister?" he asked  
pointing to the girl in question.

"Yeah, that's her." Chaya confirmed. "Dani! Over here!" she shouted,  
getting her sister's attention.

Danielle smiled when she saw her sister waving at her and walked over.  
"Hey, sis! Kaede, Mayuko, long time no see! Hello, friends of Chaya,  
Mayuko, and Kaede that I have not met yet." she greeted.

Chaya stepped forward and hugged her sister. "It's great to see you,  
sis." she said. Then Chaya turned towards her newest friends to  
introduce them to her sister. First Chaya pointed to Ryo, "Dani, this  
is Ryo Sanada. He's Kaede's boyfriend." Then she pointed to Sage, "This  
is Sage Date. He is the major flirt of the group."

"And your friends with him?" wondered Danielle.

"By association." Chaya replied. "This is Cye Mouri, our cook, and this  
is Kento Rei Faun, our garbage disposal. And this is Rowen, our genius  
who explains the secrets of Calculus to me."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." said Danielle to the guys as she  
directed everyone to the baggage claim.

***********************************************************************

/DYNASTY HQ/

Three of Tiamat's warlords stood in front of her throne. Those three  
were Azrael, Warlord of Death and second-in-command of the Dynasty,  
Adonis, Warlord of Pain and main competitor of Azrael, and Kali, Warlord  
of Nightmares and sole female warlord serving in Tiamat's forces. They  
were discussing the plans for their next attack on the Mortal Realm.

"Adonis, are you sure this is the location of where the traitors and the  
Ronin meet?" asked Azrael.

"Positive, Azrael." answered Adonis. "Though I hate to admit it, your  
plan fooled the Ronin completely. The fools didn't even realize I was  
following them."

"I can confirm Adonis's reports, Azrael." spoke up Kali. "I've observed  
the house for many nights. I have seen the traitors, the Ronin, and  
even two of the Spirits at the location."

Azrael seemed slightly alarmed at this news. "Which of the Spirits have  
you seen?" he asked.

"Ignis and Aqua, Azrael. You need not worry." replied Kali. "I will  
inform you immediately if Terra comes in contact with the traitors."

"Good. Kali, I want you to keep watching Koji Manor. When you see all  
three of the Spirits there with the Ronin and the traitors, inform me  
immediately. Adonis, I want you to be prepared to attack with a moments  
notice. Understood?" asked Azrael.

"Yes, Azrael." responded the two warlords as they left to do as ordered.  
Azrael was left alone in the throne room to his own thoughts.

"I must tell my sister of the recent developments." he said as he walked  
out.

***********************************************************************

*RING* *RING*

"Hello?" said Ryo as he picked up the phone.

"Hey, Ryo! It's Mia. Kayura told me to ask you if you could bring  
Terra to my place tomorrow?"

"Sure, Mia, I can try," answered Ryo. "But I don't know if Terra would  
come. I still don't know her identity, and Kaede and Mayuko won't budge  
about revealing her to us."

"That's alright, Ryo. Try your best, okay? The others will understand  
if she doesn't come."

"Okay, Mia. I'll do my best. Bye."

"Bye, Ryo!"

With those words the conversation was over.

***********************************************************************

It was school once again. Ryo sighed heavily. It was almost fourth  
period, and he hadn't been able to get Kaede or Mayuko alone long enough  
to talk to them about bringing Terra this afternoon. Kaede had slept  
late again, and Mayuko had an early morning meeting with the newspaper  
staff. Every time he had seen either of them earlier, they had been  
with Chaya or in class with him. This was getting tough.

"Hey, Ryo!" greeted a very cheerful voice.

Ryo smiled. His luck was changing as the voice belonged to his  
beautiful girlfriend Kaede.

"Hey, Kae. You know, I've been wanting to talk to you." he greeted.

"'Bout what?" she asked.

"It's about Terra..."

"Ryo! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not going to tell you  
her identity! You'll find out when the time comes!" Kaede interrupted.

"It's not about Terra's identity." reassured Ryo. "Kayura, wants you,  
and I mean all of you, to come to the meeting this afternoon. Do you  
think everyone, including Terra, can make it?"

Kaede's bright smile once again shone on her face. "Of course we can.  
The Spirits have been waiting for you to ask us to come again. Terra  
wanted to reveal her identity to all of you at the same time in person."

"Oh. I get it now." replied Ryo.

"Yeah, but Terra may be a little late. She has some things to do."

"That's alright, but will she be able to get there by herself? I mean  
she's never been to the manor before."

Kaede now gave Ryo a mysterious smile. "Don't worry, she'll be able to  
get there."

***********************************************************************

That afternoon, everyone was at the Koji Manor waiting for Terra to  
arrive, once again excluding Kale. Some of the warriors were getting  
impatient, mostly everyone except Anubis, Mia, Sage, Kayura, Mayuko, and  
Kaede.

"Man, Mayuko, when is Terra chick going to get here?" complained Kento  
to his prankster partner. "It's taking her _forever_!"

"Calm down, Kento." chided Cye to his best friend. "Kaede said she  
would be late. Not to mention we've only been waiting twenty minutes."  
he stated trying to reason with Kento and his own impatience.

"You have to admit, Hardrock's right." stated Dais. Everyone stared at  
Dais. The former Warlord of Illusion was actually _agreeing_ with  
Kento? "Is this Terra girl testing are patience, before she decides to  
make her presence known? What does she want us to do, start a huge  
fight?" he asked, aiming his questions at Kaede and Mayuko.

"No, Dais." answered Mayuko, annoyance thick in her voice. "But driving  
from downtown Toyama to Koji Manor will take a while."

"Oh." was all that was said to that remark.

**DING*DONG**

Those warriors who were impatient let out a sigh of relief. Terra had  
finally arrived. Mia arose and walked out of the room to get the door.

"Uh, hello." was how the warriors heard Mia greet the one called Terra.  
"You're not both Terra, are you?" this statement shocked everyone but  
Kaede and Mayuko. There were two girls?!

"No." answered a voice that was strangely familiar to the Ronin. "I am  
the only Terra. She is here to help me explain some things."

"Oh." was what they heard Mia reply. "Why don't you come into the other  
room?"

Mia soon returned to the room. Shortly after Mia returned, entered a  
blue-eyed brunette that the Ronin had gotten to know very well after the  
past week. Another brunette, this one brown-eyed, followed shortly  
after. The first girl wore an open smirk on her faces she stood and  
crossed her arms.

"Hello, Ronin Warriors. Long time no see." she greeted. "Before you  
ask I am Terra."

"CHAYA!" shouted all five of the Ronin, finally over the shock of her  
appearance.

"You know, I don't know how we didn't figure this one out." stated Sage.

"Yeah, who else hangs out with Kaede and Mayuko all the time?" reasoned  
Rowen. "But what I want to know is what Danielle has to do with this."

"Some one has to be a mentor figure for brand new warriors, even if I  
don't have any experience." answered Danielle.

Kale chose that moment to 'pop' in. He had a girl not much younger than  
the Ronin and the Spirits with him. Once again this girl was a  
brunette. She stood with her green eyes to the floor. The way Kale had  
teleported in left him standing right in front of Chaya. Kale stood  
there in silence obviously recognizing the seventeen-year-old in front  
of him.

"Chaya?" he asked as if not believing that this girl was here.

Chaya smiled at Kale. "Hello, Kale. It has been awhile." Chaya then  
turned towards the other ex-warlords who now stood in shock at the  
revelation of who this girl was. "Anubis, Dais, Sekhmet, it is also  
good to see you."

The Ronin stood in shock. Chaya was not only Terra, but she knew the  
ex-warlords on a friendly basis?

In all the excitement no one had noticed the mysterious girl who had  
arrived with Kale get out of his grasp and begin to study the two girls  
in front of her. Well, no one except Danielle who looked at her with a  
smile that answered the questions that showed through her eyes.

"Dani, Chai, is that really you?" she asked in a quiet, disbelieving  
voice that startled the silence that had fallen over the group.

Chaya now looked at the girl instantly recognizing her as shock now  
found a way on her face. "Maggie?" she asked.

"Yes, Mags, it's us." answered Danielle. Almost everyone was now  
speculating what the relationship between these three girls. Chaya,  
Danielle, and the girl now known as Maggie knew what that relationship  
was of course, as did Kaede and Mayuko. The only person who was not  
speculating really was Dais, as he too busy trying to figure out how he  
knew the girl known as Danielle.

***********************************************************************

Kali was shocked. She had not expected Terra to reveal herself to the  
Ronin so soon. And not only had she revealed herself, but she had  
brought the unwoken Spirit with her. And then the ex-Warlord of  
Corruption had brought another Spirit into the picture. 'Azrael is not  
going to be happy.' she thought as she left to report what she had  
observed to her commanding officer.

***********************************************************************


	6. A Story To Tell

Spirits and Enemies  
A Ronin Warriors Fic  
By: chayei

Ch. 5 - A Story To Tell  
Finished - 2/24/03

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors. However, I created Chaya,  
Mayuko, Kaede, and other unnamed original characters so they are mine.  
If you want to use them, please ask first.

***********************************************************************

Notes:

"/..../"- speaking in English

"...."- speaking in Japanese

_...._- thinking or speaking telepathically

***********************************************************************

"Azrael, it has happened." reported Kali as soon as she came within  
hearing range of the Warlord of Death.

Azrael looked up at Kali as he heard this comment. His face betrayed  
the confusion he struggled to hide. "What has happened, Kali?" he  
asked, his voice cool and calm.

"Terra has revealed herself." she replied. Azrael's unusually emotional  
face showed the feelings he still held for Terra. They were feelings of  
love, longing and regret, as if he had made a mistake in the past.

On the outside, Kali looked as collected and stoic as usual when she  
observed this, but inside a resentful sigh shuddered through. _How  
could it be that the man I would give my life for not notice my feelings  
and treat me the same as Adonis? As if I were nothing more than a  
brainwashed soldier. Doesn't he realize I came to the Dynasty for him?  
He was the first person to ever show me kindness of any  
sort._

/Because you never shown any signs of your feelings? Or because he is  
blinded by feelings he still harbors for the Terran Child? / her  
traitorous heart whispered.

"Is that all, Kali?"

"No. Lux is there also. As well as the unwoken Aeris."

"Summon Adonis for a meeting immediately, Kali." Azrael commanded. "I  
will be informing our lady of this recent development." With that,  
Azrael left the room, not waiting for an acceptance of these orders.

The Warlady of Nightmares let her mask down at last, showing all the  
pain she felt. "Of course, Azrael." she whispered painfully, closing  
her eyes to stop the gathering tears from falling. It would do Kali no  
good if she left proof to show Adonis of her moment of weakness. Kali  
then left the war room to inform the Warlord of Pain of the upcoming  
meeting.

***********************************************************************

Chaos had broken out over the Koji Mansion. Most everyone wanted to  
know something. Who was this girl who had come with Kale? In what  
relation was she to Chaya and Dani? How did Chaya know the ex-warlords?  
These were the questions inhabiting the minds of the Ronin Warriors and  
Mia.

Chaya was alive and in this very room? Has she forgiven us? Why had  
Kale brought Maggie with him? Who did this Danielle woman remind Dais  
of? The ex-warlords had these questions circulating through their heads  
respectively.

The Spirits were by far the quietest. They only let off feelings of  
joy, relief, amazement, and wonder. Kayura concluded this was because  
they were all telepaths as was she. Like her, they hadn't revealed the  
fact of their telepathy to the holders of the sacred armors.

"If you would all keep your thoughts still for just a minute then the  
explaining can begin." Kayura announced in the calm, commanding tone  
that she had developed over the past year. The group quickly focused on  
Kayura, their thoughts quieting immediately. "Thank you for bringing  
Maggie, Kale. It will make things a bit easier to explain. I would  
like to introduce Margaret Davis, also known as the Spirit Lux, to you,  
Ronin Warriors." The realization that this new girl was Chaya's younger  
sister immediately dawned on the five young men with that explanation.  
Kayura then turned to Danielle and smiled at her. "I would also like to  
welcome you, holder of the powers of Aeris." This statement had shocked  
the Spirits and Kayura knew it.

"Kayura, what do you mean?" spoke up Mayuko. "Danielle isn't Aeris. She  
never was. The powers of Aeris were held by Matt, and he died in our  
last major battle against Tiamat. The powers don't choose a new host.  
They remain dormant until the former host is reborn."

"I know that well, Aqua. But the powers of Aeris were never truly  
awakened. Instead they were manipulated, drawn out from the true holder  
of the powers. Tell me, were there times that Danielle became weak  
while you fought Tiamat's forces?"

Kaede spoke up immediately, "Yes. It was always after a major battle  
between Tiamat's soldiers and ... Matt."

"I guess this explains my dreams, and why I worked so hard to be sent to  
Toyama." spoke Danielle suddenly.

"What do you mean?" asked Chaya.

"I'll explain later. Meanwhile, I'm sure there are a few other  
questions that need to be answered."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Kento. "Like how does Chaya know the ex-warlords?"

The Spirits looked at Chaya, knowing that the story was a painful one.  
She waved off their worried expressions and answered. "That's an easy  
question to answer, Kento, but it will take awhile. Do think you can  
stay seated long enough?" Chaya joked with smile. Seeing that the Ronin  
wouldn't back down, she sighed and began her story. "Dani and Maggie  
aren't my biological sisters. It's quite amazing that we look so much  
alike. I wasn't even born in the States. If you look on my adoption  
papers, it will say place of birth and parents unknown. That is because  
I was born in the Nether Realm." Chaya paused to let that fact sink in.  
"As a slave."

***********************************************************************

Seventeen Years Earlier, in the Nether Realm

She had been born to two slaves who worked in the fields by the Palace  
of the Demon Emperor Talpa, but that hadn't kept the child hidden from  
Talpa. Everything was going according to his plans. This babe was the  
reborn Terran Child. Talpa had known when he had captured the girl  
child's predecessor millennia earlier that the former Child of the Earth  
would not submit to his rule. Instead he had planned on the fact that  
she would die in the Nether Realm and be reborn in his lands. Now the  
only question remaining was how the girl was to be raised into the  
perfect servant for Talpa. Not everyone was born with a soul of loyalty  
as his Dark Warlord Anubis.

To give the child perfect loyalty to him was a tricky game. One false  
move and she would be forever spiteful of him. He needed the child to  
have complete devotion to her master. That meant she would have to stay  
with her parents, for now. Until it was time for her to begin her  
training. But how to influence her to work and obey only him?

The answer dawned suddenly to him. The Dark Warlords. They would be  
able to keep an eye on her and influence her opinions, while Talpa would  
be able to keep them from killing each other until he had all of the  
nine armors. After all, Talpa intended on telling them how important  
this girl was to become. They would all struggle to gain her devotion  
and be too busy to plot ways to kill each other. Talpa would be able to  
kill two birds with one stone.

***

Two years later

"NIISAN!!"

Two years ago, Anubis would not have been able to picture himself  
talking civilly to the other Dark Warlords, let alone playing older  
brother to a little slave. It never ceased to amaze him how much the  
innocence of one little girl had changed him and the other Dark  
Warlords. Instead of regularly plotting to kill each other, there was a  
sense of brotherhood between the four of them. And it was all because  
of this one girl.

It was not Talpa's plan exactly, but it had not affected the way the  
warlords were performing so he had seen no reason to interfere with  
their actions around the girl. If anything, their performances had  
improved because they were able to work as a team.

"You came!"

"Of course I came, my little star. I always keep my promises don't I?"  
Anubis answered her little exclamation.

"Yes, but I never know when you will be busy, Niissan. Are the others  
going to come?"

Anubis smiled at the question. He was by far the closest to her, so he  
always did his best to keep his promises to her. The others were more  
like big brother's friends. They kept this image by coming around  
often, but not nearly as much as Anubis. "They will come by a little  
later, Chaya, OK?"

"Kay!"

Anubis was always amazed by how mature Chaya was for a two-year-old.  
She thought beyond herself and spoke with a vocabulary much more  
advanced than most two-year-olds. But then, that was to be expected.  
Children did not stay children long in the Dynasty

***

One Year Later, in the Mortal Realm

It was horrible. Kaasan ... Tousan ... gone. It was all Niisan's  
fault! He knew what was happening. Niisan's, ... and Kale's, ... and  
Dais's and Sekhmet's! It's all their fault! But she had left. Left  
that scary place, and was now in an even scarier one. Tall, dark  
buildings that looked nothing like the palace. And it was raining. She  
was glad for that cause it covered her tears. Niisan always said tears  
were a sign of weakness that should never be shown by a warrior.

But ... she didn't care what Niisan thought. Not anymore. Because of  
him, Kaasan and Tousan had left. And they were never coming back. She  
couldn't hold any tears back now; they were coming too fast.

"/Is everything okay? /" Spoke a kind voice suddenly.

Chaya looked up even though she didn't understand what was said. The  
kind voice belonged to a smiling woman. She was obviously expecting an  
answer. "Sorry, I don't know what you're saying."

Miriam Davis was shocked to here the language of her ancestors come from  
the mouth of this child. She didn't look Japanese. In fact, she looked  
an awful lot like her daughter Danielle when she was younger. "That's  
alright, little one. Luckily enough, I understand you. Now where are  
your parents?"

"Their gone!" Exclaimed Chaya as she broke down in tears for a second  
time.

"Shh... shhh, little one. I'm going to take you to a place where some  
nice people will help you, okay?" At the nod of the young girl's head,  
Miriam picked her up and waved down a taxi to take them to Social  
Services. If needed, Miriam was more than ready to take care of the  
girl until a more permanent home was ready.

***

The Nether Realm

"ANUBIS! How could you fail at something as simple as bringing Chaya to  
the palace?" exclaimed Kale, who was angry beyond belief at his fellow  
warlord.

"How could you be stupid enough to let her see her parents' deaths?"  
added Dais, equally mad.

"She could be anywhere by now." pointed out Sekhmet.

"I know." answered Anubis. "But she ran off from me. I did not realize  
where we were heading until I saw the slave fields. If I had recognized  
my surroundings sooner, this would not have happened. And I know where  
she is. Chaya is in the Mortal Realm."

"The Mortal Realm!" shouted Dais. "That helps a lot. We can just go  
stroll over Master Talpa and ask him to send one of us to the Mortal  
Realm to find a misplaced Terran Child. Have you forgotten there are no  
easy means to get there from here?! It could take years for Lord  
Badaman to create a portal to enter the Mortal Realm!"

"I know, Dais." answered Anubis coolly. "That is why I am to take full  
responsibility for this mistake instead of all of us like Master Talpa  
threatened if there should be a mistake."

The four Dark Warlords of the Dynasty stared coldly at each other as  
they prepared to enter Talpa's chamber. It was the last meeting they  
ever had with some resemblance of the Brotherhood that had developed  
over the past three years. The link that held them together was gone.

***********************************************************************

Chaya had finished her story, with a few bits added in by Kale and  
Anubis. The Ronin were amazed. They had hardly known anything about  
the Dynasty before they had fought with Talpa. They still didn't know  
that much now. Chaya's story had but given them a glimpse into what  
life was like for those that lived in the Nether Realm.

"Before the Ronin start asking all these questions which I know are  
inevitable, have you forgiven us, Chaya? I mean, you have no reason to.  
We did so much to hurt you." asked Sekhmet.

"What's done is done, Sekhmet. You did what you did because Talpa  
ordered you to. What's important now is that you have realized what you  
did was wrong and are trying to change that." answered Chaya.

"Sooo..." prompted Kale.

Chaya smiled, "Of course I've forgiven you. If I hadn't, the four of  
you would be in deep trouble right now, if not dead."

"That's a relief, I think." responded Anubis.

"Changing the subject, Chaya, the one thing I want to know is how were  
you able escape the Nether Realm?" asked Sage.

"I don't know. I guess it's because the barrier between the two worlds  
had weakened enough for me to pass through when I lost control of my  
powers."

"Either that, or someone was looking out for you, Chaya." replied Ryo.  
"Who knows? It may have even been the Ancient One."

Everyone smiled at that comment. The Ancient One was always high in the  
respect of the Ronin Warriors, Kayura, Mia, and Anubis. Sometimes one  
could even get Kale, Dais, and Sekhmet to admit their respect for the  
wise man. The Spirits, while having never of actually meeting the man  
in question, had held him in high regard for the knowledge he had given  
them through their dreams.

All of a sudden, Dais went pale, a look of shock on his face. "D-Dani?"

***********************************************************************

Dais wasn't really listen to what Chaya was saying. After all, he had  
not only heard it all before, he was an important part of the story.  
No, instead of listening to a part of his life, he was studying the  
woman who had arrived with Chaya. Her older sister, Danielle. He knew  
he had seen Danielle somewhere, but the question was where? And when?  
As far as he remembered, he spent all of her lifetime in the Nether  
Realm as Talpa's loyal servant. Well, except for those few months.

It was a last attempt to locate the Terran Child about ... three years  
ago. Badaman had finally found a way to open portals to enter the  
Mortal Realm. A list of locations had been made as to where Chaya may  
had ended up and the Dark Warlords has been sent to the four most likely  
places. Anubis had been sent to Tokyo, and Sekhmet had been assigned to  
Hong Kong. Kale had gone to Paris, and Dais was temporarily relocated  
to New Orleans, Louisiana. They were to spend the next months searching  
for any connection that might lead them to Chaya.

Dais had enrolled himself in a local college called Tulane University  
after taking a challenging yet amusing examination known as the SATs.  
The knowledge that the mere mortals felt was important in life was  
useless. When had things only a scholar needed to know overcome the  
need to fight and outwit your enemies? But that was it. He had spent  
five months in that city and had found no trace of Chaya in any  
resources granted to him by the university. There was nothing more to  
tell of his experience in that city. Well, there was the time the  
mortals showed their true selves. Weeks of celebration and drunkenness  
known as Mardi Gras. It was an interesting experience to say the least.  
No, wait. He had met someone. A woman. She had taught him how to use  
the dreaded mortal contraption known as a computer. She had helped with  
many things. BUT WHO WAS SHE?! He couldn't remember her face or her  
name. They had been ... involved. Yes, he remembered that. He may  
have even felt love for the woman. But her identity was a mystery to  
him. Talpa must have placed a memory spell on him. Yes, that was it!  
Because of what he had felt for that woman, Talpa had caused him to  
forget.

_Dani, must be mad about how I left without a trace. No good-bye or  
anything._

Wait a minute ... "D-Dani?"

***********************************************************************

In the Dynasty, a very different scene was taking place. The three  
active Warlords Azrael, Adonis, and Kali were standing around a strategy  
table. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. An  
argument was being held between two of the three present.

"All I want to know, Azrael, is if the Empress knows about the  
attack." stated Adonis as calmly as possible while struggling to keep  
his temper under check.

"Of course the Empress knows, Adonis. She is the one who gave  
me the duty of organizing the attack." replied Azrael, also struggling  
to stay calm. "Now, Adonis, I need you and Kali to attack from the  
front of the manor. I will be in the woods behind the manor with a  
legion of soldiers waiting to ambush the forces of good. Adonis, I will  
give you my signal when to attack. Should you attack before the signal  
is given, the Empress will hear of it. Understand?"

"Yes, Azrael. Crystal clear." responded Adonis. "You have no  
need to treat me like a child."

"I only treat you like you act."

"WHY YOU!"

"BOYS!" shouted Kali, finally involving herself in the heated  
discussion. "Save it for the attack. It will do us no good to make  
things easier for the warriors."

It was settled. The meeting went on, this time without the  
tension between the male warlords, stored for another time to battle it  
out. Instead their energy was focused on those who opposed them, and  
how they will be pummeled to the ground.

***********************************************************************

A state of shock was present in the majority of the inhabitants  
of the Koji Manor. First, it was Chaya and her story. Now there was  
something between Dais and Danielle?

"Wait a minute!" said Chaya. "You two know each other?"

"You mean you didn't already know, Chaya?" asked Sage in an  
innocent sounding voice.

Chaya just smiled sweetly back at him. "Despite popular belief,  
Sage, I'm not all-knowing. People just tend to assume such a fact."  
she answered in a sugary-sweet voice. Sage only glared in response. It  
seemed the two could only be civil for so long.

"What is between Dais and myself is not important. It is  
something that will be worked out after our current problem." Danielle  
replied in response to Chaya's earlier problem.

White Blaze suddenly lifted his head and rose up from the  
ground. He headed toward the window and looked outside.

"What is it, boy?" asked Ryo. "Do you see something out there?"

A loud explosion would be the answer to Ryo's question. As the  
dust cleared away, it was discovered that the outer wall of the room was  
now missing. The Warlady of Nightmares stood in the newly formed gap.

Kali gave an evil smirk. "Excuse me," she said, "but can you  
come out to play?"

***********************************************************************


End file.
